BJP MLA Parag Shah, with Rs 3,383-crore assets in 2024, turns beggar for a day on Jain guru advice

Mumbai: Maharashtra BJP MLA Parag Shah, one of the state's richest legislators, recently swapped his security detail, cars and expensive possessions for a beggar's attire and spent a day seeking alms on the streets of Ghatkopar in Mumbai, an experience he said offered him a glimpse of the "reality of life".

A video of the MLA from Ghatkopar (East), dressed as a beggar, has gone viral on social media, initially leaving many viewers surprised before the reason behind his unusual act emerged.

Shah, a successful businessman, undertook the exercise on the advice of his Jain spiritual guru Namramuni during the ongoing special month, a period considered significant in Jain religious tradition.


Following his guru's suggestion, the lawmaker kept away his security arrangements, vehicles and expensive belongings, underwent makeup so that people would not recognise him and spent several hours on the streets in the guise of a beggar.

"All the respect and honour, the people who line up to meet you -- the same people, when I go to them, become taller than me. So, that is the reality of life," Shah maintained while recounting his experience.

The BJP politician noted the exercise also showed him the helpful nature of the people in Mumbai.

"Someone gave me Rs 20 saying, 'Go baba, eat food'. There was a samosa seller there. I went to him and took a samosa, and he gave it without any charge. I saw one thing, Mumbai city is such that people here are always ready to help one another," Shah recounted.

"And that is my own experience'¦ when I told the samosa seller that I did not have money, he still gave me the samosa with a smile ' the man was very small, a poor hawker ' but without making a face even once, he gave me the samosa," he said.

Shah, who is active in the real estate sector, not only sought alms but also consumed the food he received and sat by the roadside like a beggar. He later narrated the experience to his guru as well as people.

The MLA later revisited places he had visited as a beggar after removing his makeup and spoke to the same people again, allowing him to reflect on their reactions without them knowing his real identity.

Shah is known for his considerable wealth. In his affidavit filed during the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, the BJP politician had declared assets worth more than Rs 3,383 crore, making him the state's richest candidate at the time.

The realtor-cum-politician has also served as a corporator of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation in the past.